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Watch: Video shows Afghan military Mi-17 helicopter was shot down by fighters of warlord Alipoor, not an accident as reports claimed

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Video shows Afghan military Mi-17 helicopter was shot down by fighters of warlord Alipoor, not an accident as reports claimed

Two days after a military Mi-17 helicopter crashed in Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan, new video footage has revealed that it wasn’t an accident but a planned attack.

The investigators have found that the helicopter was shot down by militias associated with warlord Abdul Ghani Alipoor. Tolo News reported that the Mi-17 helicopter was attacked by a laser-guided weapon by fighters loyal to Alipoor in the Behsud district. The media house released a video of the attack, which appeared to be recorded from another helicopter flying above the doomed helicopter. At about 7-seconds into the video footage, the helicopter can be seen being shot by a missile, after which it loses control and tumbles down, crashing on the ground.

The attack took place on Thursday (March 18) at around 2 am in the night. The incident claimed the lives of 5 Afghan National Army soldiers and 4 military pilots. The helicopters were transporting Afghan forces to the Behsud district. Out of four army helicopters, one of them was attacked. The Afghan Defence Ministry had earlier informed that a probe was initiated to determine the cause of the crash.

Wardak, where the chopper was shot down, is home to warlord Abdul Ghani Alipoor and his militia. Alipoor hails from the ethnic Hazara community and is fighting against the Islamist terror outfit, Taliban and the nomadic Kuchis, who have been targeting the ethnic Hazaras. He was arrested in 2018 but released following a wave of protests.

Afghan Defence Ministry seeks revenge for the attack

The attack comes after the appointment of a new police commander by the Afghan government in the province. Alipoor has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has vowed to avenge the attack on the Afghan Air Force helicopter. Ministry spokesman Fawad Alam warned, “The Ministry of Defense will revenge for the attack at any cost.”

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had earlier vowed to punish the culprits involved in downing the Mi-17 chopper. Provincial council member, Sharifullah Hotak, said, “When the chopper was landing, illegal armed men of Commander Alipoor opened fire (at) the chopper”.

Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh rejects allegations levelled against him by Param Bir Singh regarding Sachin Vaze, to file defamation case

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh rejects allegations levelled against him by Param Bir Singh regarding Sachin Vaze, to file defamation case

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has responded to the explosive letter by Param Bir Singh alleging that the former Mumbai Police Commissioner was leveling false allegations to save himself from from further legal action.

Anil Deshmukh said in a statement on Twitter, “The former Commissioner of Police, Parambir Singh has made false allegations in order to save himself as the involvement of Sachin Waze in Mukesh Ambani & Mansukh Hiren’s case is becoming clearer from the investigation carried out so far & threads are leading to Mr. Singh as well”.

“Parambir Singh has made this false allegation to save himself as well as to protect himself from further legal action,” he added.

The home minister also said that he will file a defamation case against Param Bir Singh, challenging him to prove the allegations. “The allegations made by Param Bir Singh are completely false and he has to prove them now as I am filing a defamation case,” Deshmukh said. He added that the allegations levelled against him by Paramvir Singh are false and conspiracy to defame Mahavikas Aghadi government just to defend himself.

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday alleging that the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked controversial cop Sachin Vaze to collect Rs. 100 crore every month from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

The letter by Param Bir Singh raises several questions regarding the whole Antilia Bomb Scare case and the death of Mansukh Hiren. Sachin Vaze is currently under arrest for his involvement in the matter. The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier transferred the Mansukh Hiren death case to the NIA.

Param Bir Singh had been transferred and posted as DG Home Guard after the explosive revelations in the Antilia Bomb Scare case.

Param Bir Singh says Maha HM Anil Deshmukh told Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore per month from business establishments: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Param Bir Singh says Maha HM Anil Deshmukh told Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore per month from business establishments: Report

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday alleging that the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked controversial cop Sachin Vaze to collect Rs. 100 crore every month from bars, restaurants and other establishments, Times Now has reported.

In the letter, Param Bir Singh says, “Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police was called by Shri Anil Deshmukh, Hon’ble Home Minister, Maharashtra, to his residence several times in the last few months and repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds for the Hon’ble Home Minister.”

Param Bir Singh further stated that staff members of Anil Deshmukh were also present during the episode. He stated, “The Hon’ble Home Minister expressed to Shri Sachin Vaze that he had a target to accumulate 100 crores a month. For achieving the aforesaid target, the Hon’ble Home Minister told Shri Sachin Vaze that there were about 1750 bars and restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai and if a sum of 2-3 lakhs was collected from each of them, a monthly collection of 40-50 crores was achievable.”

“The Hon’ble Home Minister added that rest of the collection could be made from other sources. Shri Sachin Vaze came to my office the same day and informed me of the above. I was shocked with the above discussion and was mulling over how to deal with the situation,” the letter said.

The letter by Param Bir Singh raises several questions regarding the whole Antilia Bomb Scare case and the death of Mansukh Hiren. Sachin Vaze is currently under arrest for his involvement in the matter. The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier transferred the Mansukh Hiren death case to the NIA.

Param Bir Singh had been transferred and posted as DG Home Guard after the explosive revelations in the Antilia Bomb Scare case.

20 hours after terming it ‘fake news’, BKU Ekta Ugrahan confirms that Joginder Singh Ugrahan tested positive for COVID-19: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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20 hours after terming it ‘fake news’, BKU Ekta Ugrahan confirms that Joginder Singh Ugrahan tested positive for COVID-19: Here is what happened

Joginder Singh Ugrahan, the State General Secretary of BKU Ekta Ugrahan has tested positive for COVID-19.

BKU Ekta Ugrahan took to Twitter and said, “He is under treatment and under the continuous observation of doctors. There is no serious harm to his health and not any worrisome situation. According to the doctors he will recover shortly and we will see him again in the field of struggle”.

According to a report in Tribune India, Joginder Singh Ugrahan complained of breathlessness and was admitted to the hospital on the 17th of March. The doctors said Ugrahan has responded well to the treatment so far and his condition is quite stable now and likely to be discharged from the hospital in 3-4 days.

Shingara Singh Mann, president of BKU Ekta-Ugrahan, Bathinda, said, “Indeed it does affect your movement a bit especially in the absence of a leader of Joginder Ugrahan’s standing and stature but on the whole, it would not impact the agitation to a large degree. Ugrahan’s schedule was planned for Punjab and he had been attending meetings and holding rallies in the state since March 12 and was to return to Tikri after March 23. After illness, he had to admit but his condition has improved a lot and there is nothing to worry about now. He will be discharged and after taking rest for a few days, he will rejoin the agitation.”

As Joginder Singh Ugrahan tests positive for COVID-19, fears are being raised about the protest rallies becoming yet another superspreader of COVID-19. According to reports, he was attending kisan panchayats at various places and overseeing preparations for Bhagat Singh’ martyrdom on March 23 and the call for Bharat Bandh on March 26.

He has reportedly been away from the Tikri Border site for the past 1 week, however, one is not sure about his itinerary and where the 75-year-old was just before he tested positive for COVID-19.

Only 20 hours ago, BKU had claimed that news about the leader being COVID-19 positive was ‘fake news’

Interestingly, while BKU has confirmed now that Joginder Singh Ugrahan has tested positive for COVID-19, only 20 hours ago, the official handle of BKU Ekta Ugrahan had claimed that news about Joginder testing COVID-19 positive was ‘fake news’.

A handle called ‘Kadak Samachar’ took to Twitter to claim that the leader had tested positive, however, he had taken admission in a hospital after concealing his identity, which is against the Epidemic Act.

This tweet was then quoted by the BKU Ekta Ugrahan handle to claim that the news was false and Joginder Singh Ugrahan had indeed not contracted COVID-19.

In fact, the handle ‘Kadak Samachar’ had also tweeted the COVID-19 positive report of the farmer leader. The report was dated 19th March 2021.

Report tweeted by ‘Kadak Samachar’

If the COVID-19 positive report was out yesterday itself, one is unaware why BKU lied about the test result yesterday itself.

With the COVID-19 positive cases rises in the country again and the farmer agitation against farm laws that actually benefit the farmers continuing unabated, concerns are being raised about whether the so-called farmers would prove to be another super-spreader since the so-called farmer leader was out and about till he tested positive for COVID-19 and met several people in preparation for further protests.

Concerns are also being raised about why BKU tried to conceal the fact that Joginder Singh Ugrahan had tested positive for Coronavirus. Till the time this report was published, BKU had not issued any clarification about their previous denial and whether Joginder Singh Ugrahan had taken admission into a hospital by giving a fake name and concealing his real identity.

Dattatreya Hosabale elected as the new general secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

OpIndia Staff
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Dattatreya Hosabale elected as the new general secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

RSS ideologue Dattatreya Hosabale has been elected as the new Sarkaryawah (general secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh replacing Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi.

According to the reports, the decision was taken in RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Prathinidhi Sabha, the RSS’s highest decision-making body and the annual conclave of top functionaries of the organisation, which is being held in Bengaluru on March 19 and 20.

The 67-year-old Dattatreya Hosabale served as RSS’s joint general secretary since 2009. Hosabale replaces 73-year-old Suresh Joshi, who is fondly known as Bhaiyyaji Joshi and second-in-command position for three terms. Joshi went on to complete his fourth term.

The elevation of Dattatreya Hosabale comes ahead of RSS’s centenary celebrations that will begin in 2024. Ahead of the centenary celebrations, the RSS has set out to expand its footprint across the country. The Hindu nationalist organisation has set a target of opening at least one shakha or unit in every mandal, or a cluster of 10-12 villages, ahead of its 100-year celebrations.

Hosbale, who is known for his organising and planning skills, has rich experience in the organisation since his stint with RSS’s students’ wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Dattatreya Hosabale, who is popularly known as Datta ji in RSS, hails from a small village Hosabale of Shivamogga district. He joined RSS in 1968 and then the student organization ABVP in 1972. He became a full-time worker of ABVP in 1978. He was the General Secretary of ABVP for over 15 years.

Ration kits distributed to 73 lakh people, 5 crore food packets, 90 lakh masks: RSS reveals the extent of its Coronavirus relief measures

OpIndia Staff
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Ration kits distributed to 73 lakh people, 5 crore food packets, 90 lakh masks: RSS reveals the extent of its Coronavirus relief measures

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) distributed ration kits to 73 lakh people and food packets to about 45 lakh people during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) National Joint General Secretary Manmohan Vaidya on Friday.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion of RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) organised at Bengaluru, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) National Joint General Secretary Manmohan Vaidya said that the RSS distributed rations to more than 73 lakh people and nearly 5 crore people were given food packets during the ‘Sewa Bharti’ work undertaken by the nationalist organisation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the event, Vaidya also said that RSS distributed more than 90 lakh masks last year during the Covid-19 lockdown period. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Manmohan Vaidya, and other RSS leaders also participated in the programme on Friday.

The RSS conducted humanitarian service at 92,656 places across the country, and more than 5,60,000 active volunteers participated in the service. Speaking to the media, Vaidya also said the RSS helped 20 lakh immigrants who returned to their respective states and helped 2,50,000 travellers during the lockdown.

Shakas have restarted, donation drive for Ram Mandir: RSS leader Vaidya

Manmohan Vaidya also stated that 89 per cent of the Shakas have restarted after restrictions on lockdown were eased across the country. He said that 90% of the RSS karyakartas are youth, out of this, 60% are college students.

The RSS leader also said that the organisation had conducted donation drives for the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. RSS swayamsewaks reached 5.4 lakh places to collect funds for the construction of Ram Mandir. More than 20 lakh Karyakartas contacted 12,47,21,000 people during the donation drive, including in the country’s remotest corners in Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The two-day ABPS commenced on 19th March in Bengaluru in the presence of Sah Sarkaryavah Manmohan Vaidya. The delegates in the ABPS also elected senior RSS ideologue Dattatreya Hosabale as the new Sarkaryavaha to replace Suresh Joshi, popularly known as Bhaiyyaji Joshi.

Speaking about the event, Arun Kumar, the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, said the ABPS in 2020 could not be held due to the corona pandemic. Every year 1,500 delegates attend the ABPS but due to the prevailing situation only 450 are attending this year, he added.

The ABPS will review the work done in the last three years and deliberate on the work to be done in the next three years. It will also discuss the ways to expand the Sangh’s work in the country, Arun Kumar informed. 

Speaking on the work during the pandemic, he said that people and volunteers from all walks of life who served the society in their own way came into contact with the Sangh. The ABPS will focus on networking with such people and engage them in a constructive way. ABPS will also deliberate on cultural and social issues.

Drunk driver smashes his SUV into MiG-29 jet of Ukrainian Air Force, fighter plane completely damaged

OpIndia Staff
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Drunk driver smashes his SUV into MiG-29 jet of Ukrainian Air Force, fighter plane completely damaged

In a bizarre incident, a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force was badly damaged after it was hit by a car. The incident happened at the Vasylkiv Air Base in central Ukraine, where a drunken Ukrainian Air Force officer crashed his Volkswagen Touran SUV with the fighter jet, badly damaging both the vehicles. The plane has been damaged completely, as per reports.

The accident took place on 10th March at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kiev, which is home to both the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and Air Command Central. The jet belonged to the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade. The MiG-29 was being towed away to a parking area, when the 47-year-old officer smashed the nozzle of the right-side engine at the rear end of the jet with his SUV under the influence of alcohol. This caused a fire, although it was localised and was contained quickly. But this totally damaged the engine and other components of the jet.

Photographs of the incident have emerged on social media, which show that both the jet and the car were significantly damaged. The fighter jet’s right engine exhaust nozzle, as well as the tail fin and rear stabilizer on that side of the aircraft, look to have sustained significant damage in the photographs. It is not known whether the jet will repaired for return to service, as unconfirmed reports suggest that the jet has been written off as a total loss. The front of the car has been smashed, its airbag was deployed, and the driver received injuries on his chest and face. He is being treated for his injuries, and is said to be out of danger. The Volkswagen Touran was the personal vehicle of the drunken officer.

Soon after the accident, the Ukraine’s Air Command Centre posted a statement on its Facebook page, informing that a car smashed a fighter jet when it was being towed to the parking lot. They informed that law enforcement officers were working at the scene, and an investigation into the incident has been started to find out the reasons behind the incident.

At present Ukraine has 35 MiG 35 jets, apart from Sukhoi Su-24, Sukhoi Su-25 and Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets, all of them inherited from former Soviet Union.

‘Jai Siya Ram is acceptable, Jai Shri Ram is objectionable’: Ajit Anjum toes Mamata Banerjee’s line while reporting on Bengal elections

OpIndia Staff
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‘Jai Siya Ram is acceptable, Jai Shri Ram is objectionable’: Ajit Anjum toes Mamata Banerjee’s line while reporting on Bengal elections

Ajit Anjum has been traveling around Kolkata ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal, reporting on the mood of the public. While people have largely been reluctant to reveal their voting preferences, the ‘journalist’ has well and truly persisted in his attempts to glean any information he can.

However, Ajit Anjum failed spectacularly to prevent his political preferences from colouring his coverage of the mood of the public. While reporting from Bhawanipore, he went so far as to say that Jai Siya Ram is permissible but Jai Shri Ram is objectionable.

The discussion ensued after one of the individuals being interviewed said that there has been a change in Mamata Banerjee’s demeanour and under pressure from the BJP, she has started paying attention to Hindus and Hindi speaking residents of the state.

Ajit Anjum, taking a dig at the BJP, remarked during the discussion that he believed that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ should not be said at any political rally by any political party to which the individual remarked that the other side says ‘Jai Siya Ram’ which is the same thing.

As soon as the individual said that, Anjum jumped up saying that ‘Jai Siya Ram’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ are not the same. “Jai Shri Ram is a political slogan and Jai Jai Siya Ram, it is something we have heard since childhood. Mandirs never used to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, not even in Ayodhya,” Anjum barked out.

The person coolly responded, “Jai Shri Ram has been politicised, Ram is not a political figure. One party would say Jai Shri Ram, the other would say Jai Siya Ram. They have to take Ram’s name, whether alive or dead. Ram is not tied to any political party.”

The interesting thing to note here is that Ajit Anjum has no words to offer regarding the fact that Mamata Banerjee has been going around chanting Chandi Paath and Durga Paath at her own rallies. Furthermore, it is Mamata Banerjee herself who has sparked the Jai Shri Ram controversy by opposing the slogan.

Shri Ram is a revered Hindu God and none should have a problem with Jai Shri Ram slogans just as nobody has a problem with Chandi Paath and Durga Paath at election rallies. However, the ‘journalist’ does not see it that way.

The people Anjum interviewed at Bhawanipore, Mamata Banerjee’s constituency, appeared reluctant to say who they were voting for. However, they did admit, at least publicly, that they believe Mamata Banerjee will return to power on the 2nd of May. Nonetheless, that is not indicative of their voting preferences itself because their words during the interview made it evident that they were unhappy with the ruling dispensation.

Metro Man and BJP candidate in Kerala E Sreedharan shuts NDTV up, slams media for being ‘purchased by opposition’: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Metro Man and BJP candidate in Kerala E Sreedharan shuts NDTV up, slams media for being ‘purchased by opposition’: Here is what happened

E Sreedharan, fondly known as ‘Metro man’ for his role in building the Delhi Metro, slammed the ‘paid’ media for its bias against the BJP government. In an interview with NDTV, E Sreedharan, who recently joined the BJP, lashed out at the NDTV reporter, when she tried to put words into his mouth, insinuating that India has become polarised and communalised under Modi’s regime.

“Not at all, these theories are only peddled by those who don’t like the Modi government. The majority of people have accepted Modi. See how the country has progressed today. People opposing Modi are finding small errors. That is not fair. If Modi wasn’t the PM, Jammu & Kashmir would have gone away from India. Don’t take a small thing and make it into a mountain”, E Sreedharan tore into the NDTV reporter when asked whether India was a better place during the Congress regime.

Don’t make a mountain of a molehill, E Sreedharan lambastes at NDTV journalist

When the NDTV reporter speaks about the inconvenience caused to the people of Jammu and Kashmir due to the longest Internet shutdown in the valley, Sreedharan lambasted that these are the small, little sacrifices one has to do for the sake of the country. Don’t make a mountain of a molehill, this is unfair and what unfortunately our media is doing, the media which is being purchased by the opposition parties, said the riled Metro Man.

“Please don’t ask me these sort of questions, ask me positive questions please”, lambasted Sreedharan at the NDTV interviewer.

For the uninitiated, the Central Government had blocked the mobile web access in August 2019 after the Centre announced the revocation of its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, many times in between the 5-minute snippet of the interview shared by the channel on its official Twitter handle, the technocrat shuts up the journalist for asking him insignificant questions. While the journalist tries her best to peddle her anti-Modi narrative, E Sreedharan makes it very obvious that he is not in accord with her rationale.

Unwavering, the journalist furthers that a section of people are unhappy that E Sreedharan has joined BJP. Responding to NDTV’s question, Sreedharan cites an example of how once a journalist had cast aspersions at him, accusing him of favouring his family members with contracts when he was the MD of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). “Is this any way to vilify a person? Why is our media going to such low levels? Why don’t you see the good things instead of concentrating on negatives”, wondered E Sreedharan, speaking to NDTV.

Puncturing NDTV journalist’s claims that BJP only indulges in favouritism and communalism, the former chief of Delhi Metro says that it was wrong to portray BJP as a communal party today in the country. In fact, all the political parties who have been in power in the past have only worked for their own people. They have distributed posts not on merit but on political affiliations. The heads of all the institution, universities…chancellors, vice-chancellors all have been leftists, said Sreedharan.

Saying so Dr Sreedharan wonders why media only “wants to see the dark side of things and not the brighter side”. In a piece of advice for all the leftist-biased media, technocrat E Sreedharan says that “media should join the struggle to bring the country forward”.

Speaking about how BJP has emerged in Kerala, the 88-year-old technocrat said that BJP’s growth trajectory in the state has been commendable. In the last 7 years, the growth of the BJP in Kerala has been tremendous. The results of the upcoming election will show how BJP has grown in the last few years.

On March 4, 2021, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that E Sreedharan would be the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

The 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in Kerala in April 2021.

Dalit goons in Latur demolish Hindu temple to build Ambedkarite temple, assault a girl and slap SC/ST act against her for protesting: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Dalit goons in Latur demolish Hindu temple to build Ambedkarite temple, assault a girl and slap SC/ST act against her for protesting: Report

In a shocking incident, a Maratha girl in Latur was molested, beaten up and slapped with SC/ST Act when she protested against the unauthorised demolition of a Hindu temple, a report by Neo Politico said.

The report further said that not only was the girl ruthlessly thrashed, but her genitals were also badly mutilated. A mob of 15-20 people had reportedly attacked her genitals and other sensitive body parts with stones. The incident happened in the Kingaon Kopra village of the Latur district of Maharashtra.

The family members of the victim have alleged that some Dalit locals in the village tried to demolish their Hindu temple, in a bid to build their Ambedkarite temple. The family has even alleged that village sarpanch, upsarpanch, and gram sevak all hail from the Dalit community and have come out in support of the goons.

The incident took place on March 12 when the accused had reportedly gathered around the Mata Bhavani temple in the village to demolish it. However, the goons faced stiff resistance from the girl, who opposed when they were razing down the temple. The goons, along with sarpanch and upsarpanch then allegedly began beating her, flogging her brutally and mutilating her genitals. It is also reported that they attempted to rape her but the girl somehow managed to escape.

The report goes on to claim that there are some pro-Ambedkarite Dalits in the village who have been nursing a desire to build their own temples. It cites this desire as a reason for the attack on the Hindu temples. Reportedly, the Dalits came armed with JCBs to demolish the holy Mata Bhavani temple in the village. The report says the temple was obliterated amidst the chants of Jai Bhim slogans.

Regarding the mutilation of genitals of the girl, the report cites medical experts to claim the girl may not be able to give birth to a child ever. The family have alleged that the police are not assisting them and instead, pressurising them into striking a compromise with the culprits.

OpIndia got in touch with the local police to seek more details about the incident but they declined to comment on the matter.

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